StayMagallanes, Chile
Refugios and Campsites on the W Trek
Where to sleep in Torres del Paine, from bunk rooms to platform tents
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Who runs which site, what a full-board refugio night includes and why Chileno and Francés sell out first. Our guide to sleeping on the W.
Three operators, one trail
Every night on the W must be booked before you enter the park, and the sites are run by three different organisations with three different websites. Vertice runs Grey and Paine Grande in the west. Las Torres runs Francés, Los Cuernos, Chileno and Central in the east. CONAF, the park service, runs a handful of free, basic campsites such as Italiano, which have been closed in some seasons.
The refugios are mountain hostels, with bunk rooms of four to eight beds, hot showers, a bar and a dining room. Full board means a cooked breakfast, a packed lunch and a three-course dinner, which is far more than you would carry yourself. If you prefer privacy, most sites also offer pre-pitched tents on wooden platforms with mattresses and sleeping bags, and a few have domes.
Chileno is the most important booking: it is the only place to sleep within striking distance of the Base Torres at sunrise. Francés is the other bottleneck, set in the forest in the middle of the W.
Sites from west to east
- Grey: refugio and campsite by the glacier lake
- Paine Grande: large refugio at the catamaran dock
- Francés: domes and platform tents in the forest
- Los Cuernos: cabins and refugio on Lago Nordenskjöld
- Chileno: refugio and platforms below the towers
- Central: the big hotel-style refugio at the trailhead
Booking order
About this story
Lucas FernándezAuthor
Andes TrailsPublisher
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